Minnesota Legislature

U.S. Rep. Betty McCollum is backing former state Sen. Steve Kelley for governor, according to Kelley, who formally announced his candidacy Monday.

Former House Minority Leader Marty Seifert, R-Marshall, said on Thursday that he would not seek reelection no mater the outcome of his campaign for governor. Seifert stepped down as Minority Leader in June when he announced his campaign to replace Gov. Tim Pawlenty, who announced in June he wouldn’t be seeking a third term.

Faith leaders from several faith traditions gathered at the Capitol in St. Paul on Thursday afternoon to speak out in support of marriage rights for gays and lesbians in Minnesota.

Republican state Rep. Tom Emmer is prominently featured in a front page story in The New York Times today looking at the movement to pass state constitutional amendments outlawing the mandatory purchase of health insurance. The article notes that ten states have considered such amendments, and lawmakers in at least four other states intend to [...]

When running for statewide office, it’s probably best not to insult a large chunk of the electorate. Rep. Tom Emmer, who hopes to secure the top spot in a crowded field of Republican gubernatorial candidates, has become known at the Capitol for his fiery rhetoric. His latest:
“I don’t think you can call yourself a freedom-loving [...]

Two years ago it was an in-kind gift of model airplanes that came back to bite state Sen. Mike Jungbauer. Over the weekend, it was a bat.

Asked to rank city services by priority for funding, visitors to the Minnesota League of Cities booth at the State Fair put sewers and senior-citizen services last.

Minneapolis Police Chief Tim Dolan was briefed Wednesday on the ongoing investigation into the now defunct Metro Gang Strike Force. Apparently the news was not good. In a statement released afterwards Dolan acknowledged that seven Minneapolis cops are implicated in the probe.

A new study says the net economic impact of the 2008 Republican National Convention on Minnesota’s economy was $170 million, Minnesota Public Radio reports. (The research was done for the Minneapolis St. Paul 2008 Host Committee by the University of St. Thomas’ Center for Retail Excellence, so you know it’s good.) But when the St. [...]

Minnesotans are evenly spit on the job performance of Gov. Tim Pawlenty, according to a new poll commissioned by the Minnesota Chamber of Commerce. Of those surveyed, 47 percent expressed satisfaction with Pawlenty’s tenure, while 49 percent rated his performance only fair or poor.